Indians at risk of flooding powerless to stem the tide of illegal sand mining

The Guardian: World News

2 месяцев

As rising sea levels threaten to engulf homes along the shores of Tamil Nadu state, locals fear the erosion of the coastline is due to the illegal sand trade

When Chandani Chandracruz steps out of her home, built on a beach in India’s southern Tamil Nadu state, she has to lift the hem of her nightgown to avoid getting it wet. Last year, the Indian Ocean began creeping further up the beach. In January, seawater engulfed Chandracruz’s home.

Chandracruz’s family has lived on the beach for almost 100 years, and this is the first time the water has reached their house. “If you came six months ago, the sea would have come up to that fishing boat there,” she says, pointing to a vessel about 100m away. “If you come back in six months, there may not even be a house left.”